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What to Do With that Under-stairs Space

  • 6 years ago

Ah, the under-stairs cupboard. That great British hinterland that never really seems to find its true place (well, other than being under the stairs, obviously).

We can’t all have a trainee wizard living there, so if you’re nowhere near Hogwarts, then you’ll have to find another way of creating a bit of magic.

Here are some brilliant ideas for transformation and utilisation…

Hide your washing machine and drier in there

This isn’t glamorous, but what it will do is make space in your kitchen for your wine cooler or whatever you’ve always fancied and never had the space for because washing machine.

Make a cosy little reading nook

You may need to remove the wall, or you might not want to, but you can make a really comfortable little den with a padded bench or some bean bags, as well as some shelves bearing books, CDs or even DVDs. It’s the perfect little getaway space.

Create a pet corner

If you have an older dog or cat, or one that needs its own space more than most, then that cupboard could become its retreat. Make it comfortable and cosy, with a bed and some cuddlies, and you could have a happier household. Urban chicken owners have also been known to turn their under-stairs cupboards into dark summer bedrooms for accidental roosters so they don’t crow at obscene hours!

Make your own customised storage space

There are literally thousands of combinations here, with umbrella stands, boot racks, coat pegs, cycle helmet hooks, benches and out-of-season clothes storage. It can look as beautiful as it is functional, especially if you open the space out to the hallway and use a contrasting colour scheme.

Turn it into a pantry

When you’ve run out of space in your kitchen, or you’re fed up of rooting through cluttered cupboards for the sumac, then an open-to-view pantry is your answer. Because there’s so much wall space, everything’s on display and you can also finally start bulk-buying dry goods because you’ll have somewhere to put them!

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